Tool for incising linoleum



W 1941- H. c. JONES 2238 222 TOOL FOR INGISING LINOLE'UM Filed June 17, 1938 Patented Apr. 15, 1941 TOOL FOR IN CISING LINOLEUM Hubert C. Jones, Springfield, Mo., assignor to C.

Howard'Hunt Pen (30., Camden, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 17, 1938, Serial No. 214,197

Claims.

This invention relates to a tool for i'ncising or cutting linoleum in the preparation of printing plates. I

The art of preparing printing plates from linoleurn has, within the past decade, enjoyed an ever-increasing popularity variously as a hobby and as a part of the curricula in public and private schools. Practice of'the art is of relative simplicitydue to the soft, relatively easily cut nature of linoleum which hence affords to many persons a ready means of expression and development of artistic faculties.

Heretoiore, however, due to the nature of the incising or cutting tools available, the successful practice of the art has required a definite adaptability to and a period of instruction in the use of the tools. Thus, the incising or cutting tools heretofore available have been closely modeled on the tools long used in wood carving and, in various forms, have been adapted to be pushed into and through the work, a manipulation requiring no little degree of skill to avoid digging in or jumping out of the tool and to maintaina uniform desired width of out.

Further, the incising or cutting tools heretofore available for the cutting of linoleum in the preparation of printing plates having been adapted for the making of straight line cuts of uniform depth only, have not been adaptable for the making of cuts of varying direction and of non-uniform width and depth,such as are required in cutting various types of lettering.

Now in accordancewith this invention, there is provided an incising or cutting tool, specifically adapted for the preparation of printing plates from linoleum, or like soft material, and which may be formed for the production of any desired size and form of cut and, at the same time, may be used for straight line cutting or for the formation of lettering of a type requiring a cut varying in direction, width and depth.

The tool in accordance with this invention from the broad standpoint is so formed as to be drawn through the work in making a cut and, at the same time, capable of ready manipulation for the making of a continuous cut varying in direction, depth and Width for the formation of lettering.

More specifically, the tool is so formed that the most forward point on its cutting edge, in whatever the direction the tool is drawn, will be on the line of stress or pull applied to the tool in its operation and, at the same time, so formed that the cutting edge will be in an angular relationship to the line of pull or stress. Again, the

in the form of the shank of tool is formed with its nose and the plane of the cutting edge extending to form acute angles with the line of pull or stress.

Having now indicated in a general way the nature and purpose of this invention, I will proceed to :a detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 6 showing a detail of construction.

The tool for incising or cutting linoleum in accordance with this invention may be formed from any suitable stock but is preferably formed from light sheet metal, such as steel, of a quality having necessary strength for rigidity and having the capacity for holding a cutting edge.

The tool comprises primarily a shank and a cutting edge, the shank being formed generally the ordinary writing to be entered in a pen holder or in a handle of any desired shape and adapted to receive the shank in its end.

The cutting edge of the tool is formed by bending the free end portion with respect to the longitudinal extension of the tool to form a nose, the lower edge of which is beveled on the outside to form a cutting edge so that cutting is effected by drawing rather than by pushing the tool with respect to the work. The cutting edge may be of any desired form, as curved or V-shaped. The tool will have Various detailed characteristics which will be more particularly pointed out with reference to the several embodiments as illustrated in the drawing.

Referring now to the drawing, in the several figures 11 indicates the shank of the tool and b the nose on the lower edge of which is formed the cutting edge. The shank is in curved forrr. adapting it to fit within an annular recess at the end of the handle c, in which it may be secured by means of a set screw .9.

The nose of the tool is formed by bending the free end of the shank in an are as shown at e. Figure 2, or into a V form, as shown at f, Figure 3.

pen point enabling it tool or the line upon which force is applied. to

the tool in operation, as shown in Figure 6, and the point of the cutting edge will lie on the line upon which force is applied to it in operation. It follows that the face of the nose of the tool will make an obtuse angle with the cutting edge.

The nose of the tool will be so formed that it will open or face out at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the tool, or the line of force applied in its operation, as shown in Figure 1.

More particularly, as illustrative of a satisfactory tool, as shown in Figure 6, the face of the nose of the tool may extend at an angle of say, for example, 10 with respect to the axis of the shank so that when the tool is in operative position, as shown in Figure 1, the line of force applied along the axis of the handle of the tool will be applied on an angle of about 45 to the surface of the work, as for example, the sheet of linoleum i, and the face of the nose will lie at an angle of about 30 to the surface of the work.

There will thus be an angle of about 95 between the face of the nose and the cutting edge.

The angle of the opening or facing of the nose with respect to the line of force applied to the tool in operation may be, for example, about 30 to the line of force applied.

In operation the handle in which the shank of the tool is secured will be held in the hand and the tool entered and drawn or pulled by the operator to effect incising of the surface of, for

example, a sheet of linoleum 2'.

Due to the various angular relationships of the face of the nose of the tool, the plane of the cutting edge and the opening or facing of the nose, the tool will readily enter the work and when entered to a desired depth will tend to maintain its position as it is drawn through the work to effect the incising of a line or groove or in the routing out of portions of the surface.

The tool in accordance with this invention, due

to its particular characteristics described, will be found to lend itself with great advantage to the formation of various styles of lettering. Thus, as illustrated in Figure 5, the tool may be manipulated for the formation of the letters 7' :1

having curved portions and portions of varying thickness and depth, since the tool may be manipulated in various directions and under varying force, resulting in varying depth and direction of out, much as is a brush, a pen or a pencil. Due to the form of the cutting'edge, and partic ularly to the angularity of the opening or facing of the nose with respect to the line of force applied, the tool may be drawn not merely along a straight line, but variously along lines in different directions and with different depths of cut, as exemplified by Figure 5. This capacity of the tool according to this invention results more particularly from the angularity of the facing or opening of the cutting edge with respect to the line of force applied to it in whatever direction the tool may be moved.

The tool in accordance with this invention, due to the characteristics described, will be found to be of great efficiency in the incising of linoleum 1 and, in particular, for the formation of curved lines and of lettering. The tool, due to its particular characteristics, is not only of high efiiciency, but is of the greatest simplicity in manipulation and requires, in comparison with former tools for the incising of linoleum, little or no practice for the attainment of facility and eiiiciency in use by the novice.

Thus, the tool possesses great advantage in that it may be used readily and efficiently by the beginner in making the ordinary cuts involved in the incising of linoleum for the preparation of printing plates and, at the same time, lends itself to the formation of more complicated cuts and lettering, not practical with linoleum cutters heretofore known, with practically the efficiency of pen, pencil or brush.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A draw tool for incising linoleum comprising a shank provided at one end with an open hook-like nose portionprovided at its lower edge with a cutting edge and formed by bending an end portion of the shank upon itself, the outer surface of the nose portion forming an obtuse angle with the cutting edge, the cutting edge, when the tool is in working position, lying adjacent to the horizontal plane of the axis of the shank and being substantially symmetrically disposed about the vertical plane of the axis of the shank.

2. A draw tool for incising linoleum according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the open hook-like nose portion opens at an angle to the vertical plane of the axis of the shank, when the tool is drawn with respect to work.

3. A draw tool for incising linoleum according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the open hook-like nose portion is curved.

4. A draw tool for incising linoleum according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the open hook-like nose portion is V-shaped.

5. A draw tool for incising linoleum according to claim 1, characterized. by the fact that the open hook-like nose portion is double V-shaped.

HUBERT C. JONES. 

